


Transcending Common Sense

by Whathecheeze



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-gi-Oh! Dark Side of Dimensions
Genre: DSOD, DSOD spoilers, Gen, SETO IS CRANKY, Spoilers, ToT: Chocolate Box, ToT: Monster Mash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-08-24 05:32:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8359162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whathecheeze/pseuds/Whathecheeze
Summary: SPOILERS FOR DSOD!!!!!!!!! 
Seto in a move of absolute stupidity decides to use Aigami's Quantum Cube to make his way to the after life to confront Atem for leaving the world of the living.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kazesuke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazesuke/gifts).



There was a rumbling off in the distance as Atem sat upon the throne he never thought he would grace again. His court was around him. Speaking of some trivial matter. It was the afterlife after all, it wasn’t as if there was an imminent danger. In the time he had been here, and who is to say how long that was, Atem had never seen anything remotely…interesting. He hated to admit it even to himself, but this whole dead thing was much more boring than he ever anticipated. 

Atem assumed there was a storm approaching, it wasn’t all that unusual for the time of year it appeared to be--which was right after Ahket and never ceased to be that time, right before the season of growth. Everything was stagnant here and would never rise to the sun. It was foreboding to Atem. 

Another boom, this time shaking the palace to its core. Atem stood up and steadied himself. “Peace, my Pharaoh.” Mahaad said with an easy smile, “there is nothing here that will harm us.” Atem sighed and sat back down, trying his best not to grumble that was exactly the problem. 

He looked to his most trusted advisers. Isis, Kharim, Mahaad, Shada, Shimon…where was Set? He looked at Mahaad and arched a brow. Mahaad in turn gave a half shrug of his shoulder. “Set. Has anyone seen Set?” he asked. 

“Oh me, me! Pick me!” Mana begged jumping up and down. Atem couldn’t help the grin. “Yes there the strange girl in the back!” It was simply too easy to fall into old ways when Mana acted in such a manner. “He’s out with the dragon!” Atem snorted. “Of course he is. What was I thinking? Very well we wi--“

Another rumbled and the scream of said dragon. Kisara sounded irate. He turned to Mahaad, who was now covered from head to foot in his Duel Monster attire grinning sheepishly at Atem. “Forgive me friend, old habits die hard.” He spun his staff and moved in front of Atem. “What happened to nothing harming us here?” Atem said moving to stand up and being pinned to his seat by Isis’ glare. He sat back down holding his hands up in surrender. 

“I was clearly mistaken,” he said with an apologetic smile. 

The doors flew open with an echoing boom and Set strode in with long strides. “Someone is coming,” he said bluntly. “Someone who should not be here,” he pointed to Atem dramatically, “and he is coming for you, my King.” 

He nodded. Typical dramatic Set, Atem thought “Then we will be ready for them.” He turned to Isis, “Who is it?”

“I cannot see their face my pharaoh, but they are angry. Very angry…with you,” she nodded. “I believe Set is right.”   
He turned to Mana and opened his mouth, but didn’t get very far at all. 

“Don’t you even try to send me away master!” She said fiercely. “I have been with you almost as long as Mahaad and you have never turned me away from battle in the dueling arena!” She even held back stomping her foot, Atem was impressed. 

“I was only going to ask you and Mahaad to be prepared to attack if needed.” He said, watching as Mana turned a bright shade of pink. “Oh, um, well in that case.” She transformed into the Dark Magician girl with a smile. “You bet I am!” 

He nodded. “Very well.” Atem took stock of his defense. It was a good one, but Atem was never one to wait to see what was coming. Shimon was the one to stop him this time. “We will take care of this, my Pharaoh.” Though the old man was polite he could hear the outlying order in the rumble of his voice. Sit down or be sat down my King. None of us went through what we did in ancient times to lose you again. Atem once again returned to his seat. 

“No one is to attack until we know what their intentions are.” Atem ordered. While he addressed every one, his eyes lit on Set. “Is that clear?” Though it was obvious his high priest wasn’t comfortable with waiting until someone was hurt he grumbled a low: “Yes my Pharaoh.” With the rest of them. Still, Atem would keep his eye on Set as always. 

There was a shouting he could hear even through the inlaid doors of gold that had swung shut after Set’s return. It was muffled, but there was something of a familiarity to the cadence of the low growl. He couldn’t make out a single word, and yet the hairs on the back of his crown laden head stood on end. 

Atem racked his brain trying to place the voice. They were indeed angry; Isis was right. They were angry and they were coming. Mahaad looked back at Atem and gave him a grin. It seemed he too was growing tired of the same thing day in and day out. If anyone knew of Atem’s boredom it would be his most trusted magician.   
The doors pushed open this time almost hitting the wall with the ferocity with which they were pushed. Someone swept in, and the guards trailed after. “I don’t give a damn if he’s busy.” The man snarled, white jacket flowing behind him as if his anger was creating waves to sustain it. 

Everyone was staring now. All of them wide eyed, mouths open. To an outside observer it was likely quite comical. Of course Atem was staring for a different reason than his priests. They were staring, because the spitting image of Set had just tore into the throne room in extremely strange attire with no respect or decorum. Atem was staring because this was simply…impossible. 

The intruder said no word, ever present brief case in hand. He strode in, the power of his position and whatever other laden magic this man had always possessed crackling in the air. Mahaad was still tense even though he and Mana knew this man. He was dangerous. He always had been and Atem had never been of the soundest mind when it came to him. That made him more dangerous still. 

Atem stood up and glared so hard at Isis condescending stare, it was she who put her hands up in surrender this time. Taking a shaky step down from the dais Atem was for--almost a solid minute-- speechless. Seto didn’t seem to be doing much better, though if Atem had been paying attention he would have noted that the CEO’s hands were shaking. Upon further inspection one would observed the left side of his brow twitching. Neither of these were a good sign, but Atem was too caught up in the moment to notice the imminent ticking time bomb that was Seto Kaiba staring him down.

“K-kaiba.” Atem stammered.

Kaiba still said nothing. Atem finally made his way to the other, priests parting so he could stand in front of his rival. “How…How did you….”  
It was at that moment that Mana decided to insert her opinion, breaking the silence of the rest of the court. “Oh my gods you look just like priest Set. Look Mahaad, he even has that same pulsing angry… thing with your eyebrow. Wow. It’s really going isn’t it?” She floated over to Seto, now at ease and staring intently at the Ceo. “How have I never noticed that on the field?” She mumbled to herself. 

She was about to actually poke Seto, when in a heated rage he snarled like a caged animal. 

“YOU!”

Everyone froze where they stood. The anger was almost a tangible thing radiating across the room. 

“I…I know you are angry.” 

Seto took one step, and then another, before his knees gave out. Atem dove, managing somehow to catch him and not fall on his own ass. “Kaiba!”   
“W-were not THROUGH here Yuugi.” He mumbled before losing consciousness completely. 

“Dammit! Mahaad help me.” He ordered, but it was Set that came to his aid. “Well this was unexpected.” He said staring at the mirror image of himself. “Why is he here?”

“I owe him a duel.” Atem murmured softly. 

Set snorted and rolled his eyes, the spitting image of the man in Atem’s arms. “Oh my king, sometimes it amazes me how little you perceive.” Atem’s eyes darted up to his priests, but there was no time to think on his words as hoisted his rival up. “Where should I take him? The healers?” 

Atem shook his head still baffled by Set’s words. “No, my rooms until we can prepare a room for him. He needs rest.” 

The priest arched a brow, but said nothing to the Pharaoh. Just an incline of his head as he carried the other off like a sack of potatoes on the wings of magic.   
“What will you do Master?” Mahaad asked still in his Dark Magician attire. 

“Send him home. He doesn’t belong here.” The sadness was clear in the former Pharaoh’s voice. “Mokuba must be missing him and no duel is worth his health.”

“That is clearly not his opinion.” Mahaad noted. “And I think this is hardly about a duel anymore do you not old friend?” 

“What do you mean?” Atem frowned.

“Come now Atem.” Mahaad said resting a hand on his shoulder. “Surely you can’t imagine anyone, even our rival going through whatever trials he did to get here on the premise of a duel.”

Atem turned to look at his magician now, confusion and awe in his eyes. “Then what IS this all about?”

Mahaad smiled warmly. “That is something you’ll have to ask him when he wakes.” 

Atem nodded. “And I need you to figure out how to get him back to his time.” Atem said already disappointed he would have to send Kaiba away. “He can’t stay here. He wouldn’t be happy here.”

The magician arched a brow. “He is not the only one.” Mahaad was once again in his priest robes. “Something to think on, my King.” 

Atem nodded and sighed. “I’m taking an hour.” He said not allowing for argument. Everyone who was important would know where to find him if he was needed, but he needed to think. He left to a chorus of “Yes, my Pharaohs.” And made his way to his private garden. 

Sitting on the side of the pond, Atem dipped his hand in the water, finger tips interrupting the tranquility of the surface. It mirrored Atem’s turmoil. What was he to do? Why was Kaiba here? He needed answers, and the only person who could give them was Kaiba. 

But what good would those answers do him now? He was stuck here, on this plane. He had made his choice, and though deep down selfishly he felt like he had made a mistake, he knew that Yuugi and him needed to be apart for his partner to grow into a whole person.

No, answers would just be painful. Better to get Kaiba rested, and send him back to Mokuba and the living world as quickly as possible. Certainly he would give him his duel. He owed him that much, but then he’d leave and Atem would be back to the monotony that was is death.

Atem’s fist splashed into the water and he cursed. This was going to be harder than he thought. Seto Kaiba was everything that reminded him of being alive. He had rare moments he could call his own in his time with Yuugi, but it always seemed when he and Seto were dueling Seto knew exactly who he was, even if he called him by his partner’s name. 

“My King.” Mahaad interrupted his thoughts. “He is awake,” the magician’s lips twitched. “And predictably angry, and more predictably that anger is aimed at you.”  
Atem sighed and pushed off the ground. “Then I must go, after all. There is a duel I promised that he is owed.” 

With that Atem walked past Mahaad who gave him a not so reassuring pat on the shoulder.


End file.
